1. Almost Harry Potter

Author J.K. Rowling won't be writing any more Harry Potter books, but she has given fans the next best thing. This month Rowling released a new book, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," to raise money for a charity helping children. "Beedle the Bard" is a collection of five fairy tales and was mentioned in the final Harry Potter book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Rowling says the new book is her "way to say goodbye" to the Potter world, and more than 7.5 million copies have been printed. Saying goodbye is a difficult thing, especially for someone as famous as Rowling. Find a celebrity you like in the news, sports and entertainment pages of the newspaper. Imagine this celebrity were saying goodbye to his/her career. Write a paragraph describing a good way he or she could do it.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of oral, visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

2. Stone Age Art

The Stone Age, which covered thousands of years in Earth's early history, was known as a period when humans developed the ability to make tools from stone. It also was a time of well-developed art, according to scientists who have made a remarkable discovery in the eastern European country of Russia. An "extraordinary" group of Stone Age artworks has been discovered just 100 miles from Russia's capital city of Moscow, carefully buried in pits and covered up by bones. The artworks included images of the ancient elephant relatives known as mammoths, and carefully carved images of women. The scientists who discovered the 21,000-year-old items say they appear to have been considered magical from the way they were buried. In both ancient and modern life, art has been used to call attention to things that are considered special. Search the newspaper for something you consider special in the community. Then design an artwork to call attention to it.

Learning Standard: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.

3. Festival of Lights

At sundown on Sunday, December 21, Jewish families across America will light candles for Hanukkah, the "Festival of Lights" that commemorates a long-ago military victory. In teams, find articles about Hanukkah and other holidays celebrated in different parts of the world. Pick a holiday or festival that interests you and write a paragraph explaining who celebrates it, how it's celebrated and what its origins are.

Learning Standard: Describing, comparing and explaining the locations and characteristics of races, cultures and settlements; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

4. Interview Star

Ten-year old Damon Weaver is a fifth grader in Florida -- and an Internet and TV star. Damon has drawn nationwide attention for video interviews he has done with Vice President-Elect Joe Biden, new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and possible U.S. Senator Caroline Kennedy of New York for his school TV station. Now he has posted a new request on the video Web site YouTube asking for a chance to question President-Elect Barack Obama. Damon's interviews for his elementary school news program have become popular with adults because they are poised and funny, with titles like "Joe Biden Is My Homeboy." If you could interview anyone in the world, who would it be? Pick someone who interests you in the newspaper and write out five questions you would ask if you could sit down one on one.

Learning Standards: Generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious; representing creatively.

5. Spread the Happiness

In the holiday season, many people want to make others happy with gifts or good wishes. Now a new study has found scientific proof that if you have a happy neighbor next door, you're more likely to be happy, and if you are happy your neighbor is more likely to be happy. What's more, if you are happy, your neighbor's friends and relatives may become more happy, too, because you will improve the happiness of your neighbor. As a class, talk about things kids and families can do to make others happy. Then draw a comic strip for the newspaper showing you or your family doing something that makes others happy.

Learning Standards: Generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas.